Lake Massabesic, New Hampshire (CNN) – Politicians often seek to portray youthful vigor, but at age 76 Congressman Ron Paul may have to work harder than others.

He showed Friday he's up to the challenge.

Paul, who famously rides his bicycle for exercise throughout the sticky, sweltering summers in Houston, Texas, invited some New Hampshire staffers and reporters on an hour-long bike ride around scenic Lake Massabesic outside Manchester, New Hampshire Friday afternoon.
The sun was shining, a breeze was blowing, and the temperature in the North Eastern state was a temperate 72 degrees.

"It looks like the temperature's about perfect," Paul said, when a reporter asked if he missed the Houston humidity, though he noted summer workouts weren't all bad. "I think when you ride in all the heat and humidity you burn calories faster."

The wiry fiscal iconoclast tries to walk three or four miles in the morning and ride ten to 15 miles on his bicycle in the evenings. He reported his resting heart rate was 58 to 62 beats per minute and his blood pressure was 120 over 70 or 65.

Before kicking off, Paul spoke to a small group of reporters who were not dressed for riding. The long-time congressman, who hosted a town hall in the first-in-the-nation primary state Thursday night and has spent time retail politicking here, said he welcomed the visit of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Labor Day.

"The more the merrier," he said. "They just divide up all the opposition. They don't take votes from me."

He said he was surprised and encouraged by the groundswell of support for his campaign in New Hampshire.

"Each time I come up here we get new people, new support," Paul said. "The crowds get bigger. We always plan to have a little gathering, get 50 people together, and sometimes we get hundreds of people together."

After the ride, Paul careened back into the parking lot without having broken a sweat. He joked that during the hour ride he'd covered 32 miles (it was actually about 7.4).

Asked by the media if the ride might serve a metaphor for his campaign, Paul happily obliged.

soundoff(151 Responses)

This is news? It's no wonder the nations in a spiral down tube. The news media in our country has an agenda, and that agenda is to influence elections.

September 2, 2011 07:05 pm at 7:05 pm |

LibertyJ

Those who criticize without evidence are showing their ignorance. Dr. Paul is not a kook and his consistency is unprecedented. If you do not agree with freedom then you will not agree with Dr. Paul. Most people I know think they know what is best for them, but when it comes to other people its a different story. I like Ron Paul believe that everyone has the intelligence to determine what is best for themselves. Ron Paul does not propose anarchy, but rather what our country was founded as, a constitutional republic.

September 2, 2011 07:06 pm at 7:06 pm |

Jim McClarin

Uh, The Greedy Old Pigs have lost their minds!, (quite the handle) who said anything about weight loss? Dr. Paul was quoted as having said he thought he burned calories faster in the heat and humidity, not the same thing as losing weight. FYI, you seldom burn fat during exercise, you burn glycogen that's stored in the liver. Ron Paul has never had a weight problem as long as I've known him (23 years). Dd you know he is the only member of congress ever to knock a ball out of the park in the congressional baseball games?

September 2, 2011 07:06 pm at 7:06 pm |

BettyLiberty

Ron Paul is the most conservative one running, and the one to defeat Obama. Disenchanted Democrats & Independents aren't going to cross over for any Theocrat neocons, no way. But they will cross-over for Ron Paul, and they are. Our country's going down, we have to become more self-reliant – and this man wants to teach us to fish. He doesn't participate in the generous retirement or health benefit package offered to Congress members, and each year he donates the unused portion of his office budget back into the US Treasury. When he ran in 2008, I donated approx $2,000 to his campaign. When he left the race, I was shocked to receive a $438 dollar check. Stop the Wars! End the Fed! End the War on Drugs, Restore Sound Money – Ron Paul Revolution.

September 2, 2011 07:10 pm at 7:10 pm |

Matt

@Cody: Take some of your own advice. Voting for the lesser of 2 evils in a two party system and expecting leadership is the definition of insanity, since we do it over and over and get the same crappy results.

September 2, 2011 07:14 pm at 7:14 pm |

Darryl Schmitz

Considering his Air Force service, medical career delivering 4000 babies, over 50-year marriage, and unwavering fidelity to the Constitution, he certainly doesn't deserve some of the childish remarks a few others have posted here. At times like this, I sure would like to have a button to push to show me the life's resumés of people who make immature derogatory comments like that.

September 2, 2011 07:19 pm at 7:19 pm |

dirtystone

Attention Ron Paul Supporters: The guy got 2% of the vote last time around, and is now older and kookier than ever. Please, give it up, and get real. The guy couldn't get elected dog catcher, K?

September 2, 2011 07:25 pm at 7:25 pm |

Angelina

Riding without a helmet is not libertarian. It's stupid. But that seems to be par for the Teapublican course.

September 2, 2011 07:26 pm at 7:26 pm |

David

I think the fact that CNN reported on this is awesome. He deserves way more attention than any of these other candidates. Anyone who thinks that any other candidate is a viable option for helping our country is simply uneducated and misinformed. I pray he keeps moving along like he is now. Anyone voting for Obama is out of their minds, do you really still want to be involved in all these wars after he blatantly lied to you and claimed that our troops would be coming home as soon as he was elected? And Rick Perry is just a joke. They tout his creation of jobs(which were mainly minimum wage) whilst ignoring his other antics like taking bribes from pharmaceutical companies to give out unsafe vaccines and selling roads to companies who turn them into toll roads.

Ron Paul has kept a consistent stance on huge issues like the drug war and foreign policy, and he most definitely has my vote for president.

September 2, 2011 07:30 pm at 7:30 pm |

Ged

He joked that during the hour ride he'd covered 32 miles (it was actually about 2.5).

Only 2.5 miles in an hour? Did I read that correctly? WHAT???

September 2, 2011 07:30 pm at 7:30 pm |

Ryan

Bush, Obama, et. al.: Influence peddling.

Ron Paul: Bicycle peddling!

Ron Paul R3VOJUTION 2012!

September 2, 2011 07:32 pm at 7:32 pm |

NoTags

So Ron's raring to go. Well Ron, go on back to Texas and take Perry with you.

September 2, 2011 07:37 pm at 7:37 pm |

Jmofaustin

I am pretty sure the people saying negative things are not real people, there is no way someone with any amount of intelligence could possibly support more of the same crap coming from our government, unless they are on welfare sucking the taxpayers dry while surfing on their fancy laptops. These people are hired by other candidates that are embarrassed because they can't keep up with a 76 year young man. So sad indeed.

September 2, 2011 07:42 pm at 7:42 pm |

Steve Prokopiw

Marie MD, is trolling with ignorant statements that all you do all day instead of caring for patients?

September 2, 2011 07:50 pm at 7:50 pm |

cjn

I love how even cnn has trolls. How anyone can take this article and cry about ron is a mystery to me. Get a life clown babies, try working for your wages before u blame everyone but yourself.

Ron Paul is a cyclist? I might have to reconsider my vow of never backing a republican. (Though Rick Perry could win the Giro d'Italia and there'd still be no way I'd support him.)

September 2, 2011 07:56 pm at 7:56 pm |

Steve Prokopiw

Ron Paul has my vote.It's ironic that he's more sensible than most of the gullible public are able to believe after they have been brainwashed by the GOP into feeling sorry for the rich.He's certainly not stylish to win either but he has my vote..A vote for the status quo on either side of the isle is wasted anyway.

September 2, 2011 07:57 pm at 7:57 pm |

Calvin

Ron Paul: The only pro-peace candidate.

Ron Paul: The only candidate to predict the recession.

If the recession was a consequence of free-markets (as if we even have free-markets), then why was it only the free market proponents (Ron Paul, Peter Schiff, and the Austrian School of Economics) who were able to predict it YEARS before it happened while all the pro-"regulation", big-government types insisted everything was fine right up until the collapse?

September 2, 2011 08:04 pm at 8:04 pm |

Cate

I'm registering as a Republican, for the first time ever, just to vote for Ron Paul. I am sick of just about all regular Republicans and Democrats. Ron Paul seems like the best candidate right now to protect the middle class, even though I don't agree with all the little details he has to offer. But set priorities right: fiscal policies have the biggest consequences to the wellbeing of the most people. The current federal reserve and government's policies support the rich and powerful, at expense of middle-low class taxpayers. Then they enable entitlements to the underserved poor to keep their votes and prevent rebellions. The monied and bankers are in control as long as there is no campaign finance reform and you'd have to be rich or in bed with the rich to run government.

September 2, 2011 08:07 pm at 8:07 pm |

Michael

Wear a helmet!!!!!!!

This country needs you.

September 2, 2011 08:11 pm at 8:11 pm |

trex

2.5 miles = 32 miles...................only in Paul's world. That says IT ALL...!!!!!

September 2, 2011 08:26 pm at 8:26 pm |

The Old Guy

Hey ! Watch those comments about old guys. I'm 78 and feel great, and go to the Gym two days a week – and thanks to the mess in Washington, I now have a part time job. Let Dr Paul have a shot at being President – He couldn't mess it up much more than it already is....and is about to become. I'm open to suggestions as to who should be President – So far it looks like the inmates are in lining up to run the Asylum.